Senate Passes $895 Billion Defense Bill Despite Democrat Resistance to Youth “Trans Care” Ban – One America News Network
OAN Staff James Meyers
1:52 PM – Wednesday, December 18, 2024
The Senate has approved a substantial $895 billion annual budget for the Pentagon, which includes a prohibition against using federal funds for transgender surgeries for minors diagnosed with gender dysphoria, prompting outrage among pro-LGBTQ Democrats.
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The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), consisting of 1,800 pages, secured an 85-to-14 vote in the Senate after passing through the House of Representatives last week, and now awaits President Joe Biden’s approval.
Every fiscal year beginning October 1st, Congress is responsible for enacting the NDAA to authorize defense spending and outline expenditures. This year’s legislation, which is two months overdue, represents a 1% increase from last year’s budget.
The bill also includes a 4.5% salary increase for all service members starting in 2025.
Although NDAAs typically receive bipartisan backing, Republicans successfully removed language concerning child transgender issues that had been supported by Democrats.
GOP officials contend that, as a child’s brain continues developing throughout their teenage years and into their mid-20s, it is ethically inappropriate to allow individuals under 18 to permanently modify their bodies due to a mental health issue.
The updated NDAA prevents the military’s health care program Tricare from covering “gender transition” expenses for service members’ children who are under 18. Twenty-one Senate Democrats opposed this change.
Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) led the opposition, arguing that the transgender policy could impact approximately 6,000 to 7,000 gender dysphoric children of military personnel.
The Modern Military Association of America estimates that there are nearly “10,000 transgender youth ages 6 to 22” with military parents.
Aside from the transgender provisions, the NDAA is intended to enhance conditions for service members, including a 14.5% pay increase for junior troops as part of recruitment initiatives. An amendment was also added to authorize the Department of Defense (DoD) to protect the border from drones amid recent drone incursions in the Northeast.
“Murderous drug cartels and foreign adversaries have taken advantage of the chaos of the last administration to fly drones unchecked into American airspace,” Ernst stated.
“Border security is national security, and Americans deserve real measures to protect them against a growing threat.”
Additionally, the legislation permits the use of the National Guard to assist with controlling illegal immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border. Hiring based on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles will also be halted until the DoD concludes its evaluation of DEI programs.
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